Crime Scene

"Although at first glance the playlist might suggest that you're in for the kind of noir-inspired, spiky edginess of John Zorn's Spillane, Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal's Crime Scene comes across as pleasantly eccentric and is richly enhanced with all the qualities that make his best work so well worth hearing over and over again. Crime Scene was realized in collaboration with the 20-piece Bergen Big Band, which includes pleasantly disorienting electric instrumentation, a Hammond B-3 organ, and a veritable platoon of brass and reed players, some of whom prove to be bodacious free blowing improvisers. As is the case with much of this man's recorded work, open-minded listeners are sure to encounter a breathtaking range of textured musical expression. Rypdal is characteristically brilliant, sometimes launching into psychotropic guitar passages that may have you recklessly upping the volume for maximum enjoyment. All but one of the 14 selections are credited to Rypdal, the exception being "Parli con Me?!" which has some gnarly sampling by drummer (and composer) Paolo Vinaccia." - Allmusic

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This one is white hot! Previously unreleased 73 minute live set from this great Czech band. Excellent sound quality. WOW!!!"What is the most successful marriage of Fender and Moog in the history of music? „Živí se Diví. Live in Bratislava 1975″ is a unique live album from Jazz Q, the legends of Czechoslovakian jazz-rock. The material presents a group in one of its best incarnations. The group comprised musicians who played on the cult compilation „Jazzrocková Dílna” (1975). This dynamic material in excellent radio quality comes from the private archives of Martin Kratochvíl, who entrusted GAD Records with the rights to his music legacy.The band founded by Kratochvíl and Jiří Stivin has become a well-known element of the European musical landscape. In the beginning, the group experimented with free jazz („Coniunctio”, 1970), and then had a successful affair with blues-rock („Symbiosis”, 1974). Kratochvíl finally clarified the band’s stylistic direction by realizing his ideas in the field of sophisticated fusion. Three years after the release of the hit „Pozorovatelna” (1973), Jazz Q recorded its magnum opus, the LP „Elegie” (1977), which to this day remains the most ambitious endeavor of the group. The concert from Bratislava presents the group a year before this important session. We were at peak of our abilities, admits the band’s leader.The recorded material was subjected to a careful, though not intrusive, mastering in the studio in Czech Budíkov. The well-prepared CD is accompanied both by previously unpublished photos from the private archives of Martin Kratochvíl and by an essay that tells (in Polish, Czech and English) the story of the making of the recording. Przemysław Pomarański authored the cover photo, alluding to the famous album „Jazzrocková Dílna”."

Frank Cunimondo is a Pittsburgh based jazz pianist still going strong. To be honest most of his recorded output is outside the purveyance of our interests - mainly piano/bass/drums jazz trios, often backing a lounge singer named Lynn Marino. He became popular in recent years because one of his tracks was used for a commercial in Europe that was wildly popular.Now there is the all instrumental Sagittarius which is a completely different story...Self-released on his own Mondo Records label in 1975, Sagittarius found Cunimondo plugging in. In addition to acoustic piano he plays electric piano, string ensemble, and synthesizer. Cunimondo unleashes his inner Jan Hammer and Keith Emerson. The album consists of 4 tracks - 3 of which are of considerable length. His rhythm section do an admirable job of keeping up with the keyboard work. This is one of those weird situations where a straight ahead jazz player crossed over into jazz rock/prog territory. Perhaps because of the ascendance of jazz rock/fusion, Cunimondo decided to play around with electric keyboards - similar to Elvin Jones "On The Mountain". In the end the results are extremely satisfying.Original copies of Sagittarius rarely turn up and when they do its an expensive item. This CD (and vinyl) reissue is officially licensed from Frank Cunimondo. BUY OR DIE!

"Now that ONE SHOT has split, this is the very first project of an ex-member to see the light. The band is led by drummer Daniel Jeand'Heur.The music itself, while firmly connected to the classic One Shot sound (a heavy bass, explosive drums, Fender Rhodes, long tracks), also features a horn section.The result, as you may expect from such a band, is a bridge between the most electric jazz-rock bands and prog. But the real sensation here is the inclusion of occasional vocals that add a modern urban vibe to the whole thing - and that fits perfectly. That guy (whose stage name is "Onan") occasionally reminds me quite a bit some of George Duke's vocals while with FZ's Mothers of Inventions mixed with today's street culture.As a bonus, the CD come with a download card allowing buyers to get the .wav (full resolution) files of the instrumental version of the album. Up to everyone to decide afterwards, which version is preferred !!"

"The Esoteric Antenna label is pleased to announce the release of the new album by internationally acclaimed British saxophone and flute player and composer Theo Travis 'Transgression' his first solo album in eight years, with his band 'Double Talk'. Theo Travis - who has worked with many artists in the Prog, Jazz and Rock worlds such as Gong, Soft Machine Legacy, The Tangent, Bill Nelson, Keith Tippett and with Robert Fripp in Travis & Fripp - has put together a band of progressive jazz stars for the record. Travis is well known for his collaborations with Steven Wilson, appearing on all four of his solo albums as well as recordings with Porcupine Tree and No Man and he has been touring internationally with the Steven Wilson Band from his first solo tour in 2011 up until the current tour. Transgression was recorded in January at Koolworld Studio and Steven Wilson applied his studio skills to the album as he mixed and mastered it in his own studio, just before launching his own 'Hand Cannot Erase' world tour. The album reflects many of Theo's inspirations, being instrumental and powerful bluesy progressive electric jazz with a strong 1970s influence. With influences of King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as late Talk Talk, and ECM artists such as Terje Rypdal and Palle Mikkelborg apparent, TRANSGRESSION is a unique album. The presence of musicians such as Nic France on drums (Steven Wilson's Grace For Drowning album, David Gilmour's Live At The Royal Festival Hall DVD and Kate Bush, Robert Wyatt, Alan Holdsworth, and Working Week), Mike Outram on guitar (Steven Wilson, Herbie Mann, Carleen Anderson, Jacqui Dankworth) and Pete Whittaker on Hammond organ (John Etheridge, Nigel Price, touring member of The Wonder Stuff and Catherine Wheel), ensures that TRANSGRESSION is a milestone in modern Progressive Jazz."

"Right from the start, a vastly different Weather Report emerges here, one that reflects co-leader Joe Zawinul's developing obsession with the groove. It is the groove that rules this mesmerizing album, leading off with the irresistible 3/4 marathon deceptively tagged as the "Boogie Woogie Waltz" and proceeding through a variety of Latin-grounded hip-shakers. It is a record of discovery for Zawinul, who augments his Rhodes electric piano with a funky wah-wah pedal, unveils the ARP synthesizer as a melodic instrument and sound-effects device, and often coasts along on one chord. The once fiery Wayne Shorter has been tamed, for he now contributes mostly sustained ethereal tunes on soprano sax, his tone sometimes doubled for a pleasing octave effect. The wane of freewheeling ensemble interplay is more than offset by the big increase in rhythmic push; bassist Miroslav Vitous, drummer Eric Gravatt, and percussionist Dom Um Romao are now cogs in one of jazz's great swinging machines." - All Music Guide

First time on CD!. Overlooked set from the late, great guitarist Volker Kriegel. Originally released in 1978 on MPS, it finds Kriegel collaboarting with vibraphonist Wolfgang Schluter (see Michael Naura Quarett "Call"). Each musician gives the other plenty of space to operate and they are backed by members of Kriegel's Mild Manic Orchestra. Keyboardist Thomas Bettermann throws down some Max Middleton-like funky synth lines here and there."In the 1978 liner notes to “House-Boat”, Volker Kriegel describes how difficult it was to set up a recording date. Vibraphonist Wolfgang Schlüter was to be featured, but had commitments with the NDR Big Band in Hamburg, Germany; Kriegel was one of Germany’s busiest jazz-rock musicians, as well as cartoonist, author, and radio moderator. It was pure luck that the album got recorded at all. Schlüter is still active – he won the prestigious German Echo award for jazz in 2013, but the younger Kriegel died in 2003. Born in Darmstadt, Kriegel was self-taught on guitar. He was influenced as much by the tasteful, subtle styles of Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall as by John McLaughlin’s rocking power. Schlüter’s influences were Lionel Hampton with his infectious swing, Milt Jackson from the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Gary Burton, who opted for four mallets instead of the normal two, and played the vibraphone like it was a piano. The two multi-talented musicians flaunt their quality during their studio encounter in Stuttgart. On the Kriegel composition “Memory Delay”, Schlüter changes to marimba and congas. The two soloists are accompanied by musicians from Kriegel’s “Mild Maniac Orchestra”; the jazz-rock band won the 1982 German Phonographic Academy’s award in the pop ensemble category."

"Borboletta is the sixth studio album by Santana. It is one of his jazz-funk-fusion oriented albums, along with Caravanserai, Welcome, Love Devotion Surrender with John McLaughlin, and Illuminations with Alice Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette and Jules Broussard. The guitarist leaves a lot of room to percussion, saxophone and keyboards to set moods ("Spring Manifestations"), as well as lengthy solos by himself ("Promise of a Fisherman") and vocals ("Give and Take", a funky guitar-led song). The record was released in a shiny blue sleeve displaying a butterfly, an allusion to the album Butterfly Dreams by Brazilian musician Flora Purim and her husband Airto Moreira, whose contributions deeply influenced the sound of Borboletta."

28 years is a long time for a band to stay together but that's how long Woodenhead has been playing together. They have quietly cultivated a dedicated cult following in New Orleans. Now Free Electric Sound is bringing this extraordinary quartet to a national audience. Woodenhead's music is a spicy gumbo of jazz fusion, symphonic rock and local R 'n' B flavors (sorry for the wordplay!) The group has toured the U.S. and Central America and has played the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for over 20 years. The band has played with the Dixie Dregs, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea's Elektrik Band, John McLaughlin Trio, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Tuck And Patti, Hugh Masekela, Spyro Gyra, Robben Ford, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and John Mayall, and has toured with the Steve Morse Band and Allan Holdsworth."Perseverance", the band's 6th album, was recorded live in New Orleans and captures all the energy and emotional playing of a Woodenhead gig. Augmented by a horn section, the band's music comes across as a blend of the Dixie Dregs, Happy The Man, and Hot Rats-era Zappa. This is an album with broad appeal to fans of jazz rock, prog rock and even Cajun music. "At the New Orleans jazz festival, Woodenhead gets a standing ovation for teaching traditional jazz fans just how far imagination and electricity can push the form" - Esquire magazine

Mind blowing set from this early 70s German jazz rock band culled from the vaults of SWF radio. Dzyan was formed by bassist Reinhard Karwatky but the emerging star was guitarist Eddy Marron. The lineup for these sessions is a quintet consisting of guitar, sax, bass, drums, and percussion. High energy jazz rock with a psychedelic undercurrent is the order of the day. Think Mahavishnu Orchestra crossed with Guru Guru. Percussionist Jochen Leuschner also handles the occassional vocal. He's got a great soulful voice that fits in comfortably. High level of musicianship throughout but I have to mention Marron again - his playing really blows my mind. Typical superb job from Long Hair Music - previously unavaialbe photos and detailed liner notes. BUY OR DIE!

For year avid prog collector Tom Hayes of CD Reissue Wish List blog fame pounded away at me on the greatness of Berits Halsband and I simply ignored him. Truth is I just wasn't ready for it until now. Now I am - will you be?Berits Halsband was a "one and done" octet from Sweden. The album was originally released in 1975 in micro-quantities. Basically its a seamless blending of instrumental Canterbury flavored prog and kosmigroov jazz along the lines of Bitches Brew played out over 4 extended tracks. Flutes and trumpets are in the forefront with electric piano and wah-wah guitar grooving away. The music has a wonderful flow to it. If you've heard the current band Hooffoot and enjoyed that you will definitely dig this one.This comes in a gorgeous mini-LP sleeve and the audio has been transferred from the original master tapes. The release is a collaboration between two Greek outfits - Music Bazz and Sound Effect Records. They did this up the right way. Highly recommended.TOM YOU WERE RIGHT! I WAS WRONG!

"Once upon a time there was a guitar god who had grown bored with all his fame, riches and glory. He longed for something more than another multi-platinum selling record. He desired not simply acclaim, but respect. He knew to get it he would have to walk away from the distinctive style that made him popular and wealthy. It was a risk to confuse his band and his fans by making a radical change in his musical direction. But he did it anyway and broke up the classic version of his band, alienating much of his audience in the process.It must have seemed worth it at the time to Carlos Santana. Appearing at Woodstock had announced to the world there was a new guitar hero on the scene, a skinny Mexican who fused elements of rock, Latin, jazz and funky R&B in one soul-stirring stew. Santana delivered on the promise with a trilogy of terrific albums.The initial effort in Santana's amazing adventures in fusion, Caravanserai (Columbia, 1972), is the sound of a band uncertain of its music and its leader equally uncertain of the direction he wants to take them. Following Santana III (Columbia, 1971), it must have puzzled executives at Columbia when Santana presented it to them. While it has its definite highs, the low points of Caravanserai are very low.Gregg Rolle was skillful on the organ, acceptable as a vocalist and totally out of his league trying to fake it as a jazz musician. Rolle simply lacked the feel for this dense, hook-free tunes and soon would leave to form Journey, taking guitarist Neal Schon with him.The record is disjointed as Santana can't fully let go of the Latin rock that made him wealthy and famous. Never the strongest vocalist, Rolle sings on three unmemorable songs. The songs aren't strong and neither is the playing. You can almost feel Santana's frustration. If he were going to succeed in this new path he was on he would need something conspicuous in its absence from Caravanserai.He would need better musicians to play the way he wanted and better music for them to play. Carlos took the first step when he joined with guitarist John McLaughlin for Love, Devotion and Surrender (Columbia, 1972). Santana brought along members of his band and teamed with McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra to produce an eclectic electric guitar summit that perplexed fans, critics and record executives.Welcome solved both problems. David Brown (bass) and Michael Carabello (percussion) were already out by that time and Rollie and Schon were eyeballing the exit sign as well.Santana has always fused the spiritual with the secular and Welcome is as close as the guitarist has ever come to the former with no regard for the latter. Welcome yielded no hit singles and was never conceived as an album rock radio would play. This is Santana's John Coltrane/A Love Supreme moment: creating transcendent, reverent, passionate music conceived and executed by a virtuoso artist without the slightest trace of concern for commercial considerations.The opening drone of the two organs on "Going Home" played by Tom Coster and Richard Kermode build gradually and soar high with grandeur. Santana lays out here and frequently fades into the background entirely. He is finally secure in his own playing and doesn't have to take the lead. His new-found confidence comes from knowing he finally has a band capable of delivering the goods and they do. Welcome is every bit as much of a classic as the first three Santana albums. It sounds great nearly 40 years after its release.The only comparable rock guitarist who altered his sound as drastically as Santana did with Welcome is Jeff Beck, with his career-altering Blow by Blow (Epic, 1975). The critical difference is Beck was taking the next step after a series of unremarkable bands and records that had flopped. Santana was at the peak of his fame when he drastically altered course and followed the path of A Love Supreme in seeking to make music that satisfied his soul, not a record company's ledger sheet.Even Robert Christgau, the noted (and notorious) rock critic/curmudgeon, and former music editor of The Village Voice smiled upon Welcome."More confident and hence more fun than Caravanserai, this proves that a communion of multipercussive rock and transcendentalist jazz can move the unenlightened—me, for instance. Good themes, good playing, good beat, and let us not forget good singing—Leon Thomas's muscular spirituality grounds each side so firmly that not even Flora Purim can send it out the window."Not everybody completely "got" Welcome in 1973. It wasn't slightly different like Caravanserai, with one foot still in rock and another with a toe dipping lightly into not only jazz fusion, but even free jazz. The signature sizzling guitar solos were there, but more restrained and at times even submerged within the collective of the group.The secret weapon is Michael Shrieve's energetic drumming and the dual keyboard attack of Coster and Kermode. They push and pull Santana to go beyond and stop holding back. Some have called the album disappointingly thin and self-indulgent, but that's a harsh assessment. There are no hit singles or any concessions made to radio here. Maybe an adventuresome jazz station would play "Samba De Sausalito," but even the vocal tracks, "When I Look Into Your Eyes" and "Light of Life" feature Leon Thomas' vocals. Alternating between soulful singing and off-the-wall yodeling, Thomas is perhaps the most polarizing of the many Santana vocalists.The other unique aspect to Welcome band was the band's first female member, Wendy Haas, a vocalist and keyboard player Santana plucked from Azteca, the same band he found a hot-shot 17-yr-old guitarist named Neal Schon, the future guitarist of Journey.If Welcome is the summit of Santana's jazz fusion era, Lotus (Columbia, 1974) and Borboletta (Columbia, 1974) are the sound of that era falling off a cliff. Lotus was a mammoth three-record live set that was only available as a high-priced import, but in 1991 Columbia released it domestically whittling it down to two CDs. It's brilliant, messy and at times, total overkill in overlength and Thomas is inept trying to front Santana standards such as "Black Magic Woman." Borboletta showcases a sullen Santana fronting an equally lethargic band and cursed by the ugliest cover art ever to appear on a Santana record. It's the splat of the band finally hitting the proverbial wall.frustrated by tepid record sales, Santana ditched his dalliance with jazz and returned to Latin rock glory with Amigos (Columbia, 1976). Though he was still billed as "Devadip" Carlos Santana he was drifting away from his guru, Sri Chimoy, and would leave both him and jazz behind for the rest of his career. Blues For Salvador (Columbia, 1987) won a Grammy for Best Instrumental and Santana Brothers (Universal/Polygram, 1994) is good, but these are primarily instrumental recordings and not really jazz.The Swing of Delight (Columbia, 1980) pairs Santana with trumpeter Miles Davis' classic quintet colleagues Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter, with Santana's blistering guitar leads replacing the lonely fire of Davis' trumpet, but the result isn't as incendiary as might have been hoped for. Most of the songs on The Swing of Delight are merely star-filled jam sessions lacking the structure and passion of Welcome.Santana has continued to release instrumental albums, but they aren't jazz and since the 15 million-selling Supernatural granted him late career superstar status on him in 1999, he has wasted the better part of a decade chasing similar success minus similar results. The bottom of the barrel is Guitar Heaven, which sounds like the name for a video game but is a pandering mess of classic rock covers.At this point in his life, Santana should be financially secure and has married his second wife, jazz drummer Cindy Blackman. In May he released the 22nd Santana album, Shape Shifter (Starfaith, 2012). With the exception of one vocal track it is a recording of instrumentals exclusively, with just the man and his band and no awkward guest stars crow-barred in except his son Salvador playing keyboards.In an interview, Santana explained why he was taking a break from his overly commercial direction of the past decade."In a lot of ways, yes, because I don't need to accommodate lyrics, and I don't need to accommodate artists. I say this in a funny way, but it's more about letting a Mexican play the guitar, you know?""I'm never going to wait so long to brew 'em like this anymore. I'm going to make sure that I do one album like this and then another kind. I remember reading that John Coltrane would do one Pursuance album, and then he'd do a ballads album where he'd hardly play a solo—he'd just play the melody verbatim."Shape Shifter may be a slight retreat for Santana from pop music and a return to pulling power chords from his guitar, but it's not going to be "Welcome: The Sequel." That was a different man making different music in a different time. The Santana of 1973 is not the Santana of 2012, but that man would not be the one he is now had he not chased his inner Coltrane and made a record as bold, brave and eternally beautiful as Welcome."- All About Jazz

Another awesome release from the Swedish jazz rock/prog band. This was recorded live in the studio with audience. It has that organic feel and energy of musicians playing off one another in real time. The band is led by guitarist/composer Peter Pedersen. He chews up a lot of the sonic landscape with wild abandon but he leaves plenty of room for soloing on sax, flute and ripping Hammond organ. Very tasteful and very old school - just the way we like it. This sounds like some lost session from the Silence label circa 1974. Another one of those bands that should be better known. Don't be the guy left behind. You need to hear this NOW!

The Pop-Liisa and Jazz-Liisa broadcast session series presents previously unreleased and forgotten gems from the biggest names of Finnish prog and jazz of the 1970'sNever bootlegged and known up until now only to a few faithful servants (and largely thought to have been lost for ever), these sessions offer a hitherto unrivalled look into the state of Finnish jazz and progressive rock between the years 1972-1977. Imagine if the sessions recorded by John Peel had only recently been discovered, and you get an idea of the cultural weight of what is being brought into the light of day here.Originally recorded as broadcasts by YLE (the national radio service Yleisradio, ”the Finnish BBC”), the thirty-four Liisankatu sessions are a genuine who's who of Finnish prog and jazz. Interestingly, anyone with even basic knowledge of the era's biggest bands will recognize familiar names at play within these obscure bands. As such, these sessions provide the missing link between jazz and prog, explaining through spirited performances - and largely unknown collaborations - the instrumental prowess and dexterity of these players and bands. What's best, these sessions show these exceptional bands playing for the moment in front of a hundred strong studio audience, not weighed down by the tedium of studio recording, and thus somehow miraculously managing to capture the best of both worlds: studio performances in front of a live audience.Jazz Liisa 1: UNISONO QUARTETLive at Liisankatu studios, Helsinki. Live broadcast on Channel 2, Wednesday September 26th, 1973, 8 pm to 8.40 pm. Produced by Yle. Hosted by Matti Poijärvi.A1. LONG TANDEM (10:13)A2. SPECIALLY FOR (10:01)B1. TOTUUDEN AARREAITTA – TREASURES OF THE TRUTH (11:38)B2. INCARNATION (10:12)PARONI PAAKKUNAINEN – soprano, alto and baritone saxophones, fluteOLLI AHVENLAHTI – piano and Fender Rhodes electric pianoMAKE LIEVONEN – electric bassREISKA LAINE – drumsJazz Liisa 2: TAIVAANTEMPPELILive at Liisankatu studios, Helsinki. Live broadcast on Channel 2, Wednesday November 21st, 1973, 8 pm to 8.40 pm. Produced by Yle. Hosted by Matti Poijärvi.A1. ON TÄMÄKKI SANO… (10:24)A2. TOTEM DANCE (14:08)B1. LISA (15:15)MATTI JAKOLA – fluteOLLI AHVENLAHTI – piano and Fender Rhodes electric pianoPEKKA RECHARDT – electric guitarMAKE LIEVONEN – electric bassUPI SORVALI – drumsTAPANI "NAPPI" IKONEN – congas and percussion